lao, the port of Lima, in lat. 12 deg. 10' S. on the 13th
February, 1579, where they found twelve ships at anchor, with all their
sails down, without watch or guard, all their masters and merchants
being on shore. On examining the contents of these ships, they found a
chest full of dollars, with great store of silks and linen, and carried
away all the silver, and part of the other goods to their own ships.
Here the admiral got notice of a very rich ship, called the Cacafuego,
which had sailed for Paita, in lat. 5 deg. 10' S. Pursuing her thither, they
learnt, before arriving at Paita, that she had sailed for Panama. In
continuing the pursuit to Panama, they took another, which paid them
well for their trouble; as, besides her ropes and other tackle, she
yielded eighty pounds weight of gold, together with a large golden
crucifix, richly adorned with emeralds.

Continuing to pursue the Cacafuego, the admiral promised to give his
gold chain to the first person who descried the chase, which fell to the
share of Mr John Drake, who first discovered her, one morning about
three o'clock. They came up with her about six, gave her three shots,
which struck down her mizen-mast, and then boarded. They found this ship
fully as rich as she was reported, having thirteen chests full of
dollars, eighty pounds weight of gold, a good quantity of jewels, and
twenty-six tons of silver in bars.[28] Among other rich pieces of plate
found in this ship, there were two very large gilt silver bowls, which
belonged to her pilot. On seeing these, the admiral said to the pilot,
that these were fine bowls, and he must needs have one of them; to which
the pilot yielded, not knowing how to help himself; but, to make this
appear less like compulsion, he gave the other to the admiral's steward.
The place where this rich prize was taken was off Cape San Francisco,
about 150 leagues from Panama, and in lat. 1 deg. N. [00 deg. 45'.] When the
people of the prize were allowed to depart, the pilot's boy told the
admiral, that the English ship ought now to be called the _Cacafuego_,
not theirs, as it had got all their rich loading, and that their
unfortunate ship ought now to be called the _Cacaplata_, which jest
excited much mirth.[29]

[Footnote 28: Without calculating on the jewels, for which there are no
data, the silver and gold of this prize could hardly fall short of
250,000_l_--worth more than a million, in effective value, of the present
day.--E.]